SéranditeNa(Mn,Ca)2{Si3O8(OH)}

Sérandite is certainly a major contributor in making Mont Saint-Hilaire a world famous collecting site and is arguably the most sought after mineral from the site. Three significant finds ('73, '81 and '88) have produced superb, aesthetic specimens up to 20cm in length.

Sérandite is the Mn end-member of the pectolite-schizolite-sérandite series and very close in being the pure end-member.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color ranges from pale pink to salmon-red, rose-red, deep orange, brown and black; rarely in smaller crystals as colorless to tan or white.Luster is vitreous to greasy to dull.Diaphaneity is transparent to translucent in smaller specimens and translucent to opaque on larger crystals; fibrous on aggregates. Crystal System is triclinic; P1.Crystal Habits include prismatic and tabular crystals to 20cm; acicular to blocky to bladed forming radiating clusters and rarely as fibrous aggregates.Cleavage {001} and {100} are perfect.Fracture is uneven.Hardness is 5 - 5.5Specific Gravity is approximately 3.35 g/cm3.Streak is white.Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, analcime, ancylite, astrophyllite, behoite, birnessite, calcite, fluorite, leucophanite, mangan-neptunite, natrolite and pyrochlore.Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and color.Origin: Named in 1931 after J. M. Sérand, mineral collector of West Africa who helped in the collection of the mineral on the island of Rouma, Los Archipelago, Guinea.